In recent years, the computer files generated by many software applications have become larger and larger. This is especially the case for the computer files generated by applications that involve the storage and manipulation of photographs, motion pictures, and/or sound recordings. At the same time, whether because of the Internet, more complex operating systems, or otherwise, computers now tend to generate and store a much greater number of individual computer files. To save valuable storage space, and perhaps to reduce the appearance of unnecessary clutter, a user will often desire to delete computer files and/or directories from the user's hard disk drive or other assessable persistent storage devices. Unfortunately, oftentimes a user will delete these files or directories, only to find out later that the deleted data was desired or necessary. For example, a deleted file or directory may contain information that the user actually desired to retain, or the deleted file or directory, unbeknownst to the user, may have been necessary to the proper operation of one or more of the software applications used by the user.
One partial solution to this problem has been the use of a local “recycle bin” system. A “recycle bin” is an object that serves as a means of temporarily storing and protecting data that has been marked for deletion, but has not yet been removed from the computer system. Recycle bins typically reside on the hard disk drive of a user's local computer. In the case of the various Microsoft Windows® operating systems, a local recycle bin temporarily stores and protects data residing on the local computer's hard disk drive only. The Windows® operating systems do not protect the data residing on any of the other persistent storage devices that may be a part of the user's local computer system, such as the computer's floppy diskettes, tape drives, rewriteable compact disks (CDRW's) or other removable media, or non-volatile random access memory. Likewise, these operating systems do not protect a user's data when the local computer user wishes to delete files and directories located on a server, as when the local computer is networked to a server.
Under this conventional approach, the local recycle bin is represented as an object on the user's desktop. When the user drags a file or directory to the recycle bin, or “deletes” a file or directory via graphical user interface commands, the file or directory is “moved” to the recycle bin. The file or directory has not yet been deleted. It still takes up valuable space on the user's local computer hard disk drive. The user may view the contents of the local recycle bin. The user has the ability to restore a file or directory in the recycle bin, thus returning the “deleted” file or directory to its former location.
Only when the user decides to “empty” the local recycle bin are the contents of the recycle bin are deleted. That is, when the local recycle bin is emptied, the operating system reclaims the physical space formerly occupied by the contents of the recycle bin. At this point, a deleted file or directory may be recovered, if at all, only by the use of difficult-to-use third party disk utility applications, such as Norton Utilities®, and the like.
Thus, the computer user may have two options. The user may empty the recycle bin to reclaim the physical disk space occupied by the contents of the recycle bin, and thereby risk not ever being able to recover the recycle bin's contents. Alternatively, the user may preserve the data contained in the recycle bin by allowing the unemptied recycle bin to fill up. Under this alternative, the remaining space available on the user's hard disk drive continues to be depleted. Neither option may be satisfactory. Thus, there exists a need for a recycle bin system where the recycle bin does not physically reside or take up significant space on the user's local computer.